TGV high-speed trains belonging to SNCF at Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris. Source: Shutterstock/Markus Mainka.

France’s high-speed railway line network was the target of a series of ‘malicious acts’ overnight with just hours to go before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

State-run railway company SNCF has confirmed it suffered a “massive attack aimed at paralysing the high-speed rail network” across its Atlantique, North and East lines, resulting in severe disruptions and a large number of trains being diverted or cancelled.

Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete denounced the attacks, which are being linked to saboteurs (rather than acts of terrorism) being carried in widespread reports, on the eve of the Games. The attacks are expected to cause prolonged disruption over the weekend.

“I strongly condemn these criminal actions which will compromise the departures on vacation of many French people,” he stated on X.

Eurostar said its services between London and Paris were being diverted with several trains cancelled and journey times increasing by around 90 minutes.

Among the locations affected by what are understood to fires to critical infrastructure are TGV high-speed lines serving Paris to Bordeux, Paris to Lille and Paris to Strasbourg.

At press time, it still remains unclear who started the fires, nor the motive for the attacks.

No-fly zone for opening ceremony

Lagardère Travel Retail, which operates a number of official Paris 2024 Olympics boutiques at the likes of Paris Gare du Nord and Gare Montparnasse stations – among the locations understood to be impacted – in addition to its Relay travel and convenience network of 200 shops merchandising Paris 2024 licensed items, declined to comment when contacted by TRBusiness.

The rapidly unfolding situation, which is changing by the hour, compounds an already complicated and what now appears to be an increasingly chaotic picture as Paris shuts down or restricts a number of major transport arteries ahead of this evening’s opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

Travellers can encounter seven official Olympics boutiques at locations including Paris Gare du Nord (pictured).

Alongside affecting key suburban rail stations in central Paris, including those situated close to visitor hotspots such as the Champs-Élysées and Eiffel Tower, road closures are in place as part of a substantial security effort.

Major airports including Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly are affected by the Zone d’Interdiction Temporaire (no-fly zone).

Writing in The Independent, respected travel journalist Simon Calder comments that the situation in Paris on Friday will be “very different”, with the key difference being “the millions of tourists who would normally flock to the city in late July and August will be absent”.

He goes on to observe: “Certainly there will be a good few Olympics enthusiasts in attendance. But nothing like the numbers who are keeping away because they are worried about disruption, high airfares and expensive hotels.

“While the [UK] Foreign Office says ‘airports and main line train stations will be busier than usual’, my sense is that they will be quieter than usual.”

According to data from live flight tracker Flightradar24 and correct at press time, a series of Air France flights to Paris CDG at 17:10 (local time) today from Edinburgh, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Venice are the last scheduled arrivals prior to the opening ceremony commencing at around 18:30.

For the first time in a century, France will host the Summer Olympic Games on 26 July – 11 August, followed by the first Summer Paralympic Games on 28 August – 8 September.

Lagardere Travel Retail’s network of shops, including its Relay travel convenience units, are ‘fully prepared’ to welcome travellers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

As reported, Lagardère travel Retail is running official Olympics boutiques in Paris and Lyon, offering a wide assortment of Games-related merchandise such as T-shirts, sweaters, caps, plush toys, mugs, water bottles, travel bags and pillows.

“On the eve of the Paris Olympic Games opening, our Relay stores and more broadly our French network are fully prepared to welcome travellers and make sure they have a memorable journey,” Dag Rasmussen, Chief Executive Officer of Lagardere Travel Retail, told TRBusiness.

The travel retailer this week reported first-half 2024 revenue of €2,748 million/$2,957 million – up 18% (reported) and 13.5% (like-for-like), spurred by strong gains from its France business, owning much to the success of its Extime Duty Free Paris joint venture with Groupe ADP.

Dag Rasmussen, Chief Executive Officer of Lagardere Travel Retail, told TRBusiness: “In the first half of 2024, we performed exceptionally well, achieving a remarkable 13,5% increase in organic revenues compared to 2023 and recorded a RESOP of €109m. This progress is the result of robust performances across various regions.

“In Europe we entered the Romanian duty free market at Bucharest International Airport, and we won the dining master concession tender at Varna and Burgas Airports, further solidifying our presence in the region. We’ve also opened the first travel essentials refurbished stores as part of our joint venture with Extime Duty Free Paris at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

“Our efforts in Asia have also been rewarded as we secured a 12-year concession under an innovative profit-sharing model to operate duty free & fashion, dining, and travel essentials at Techo International Airport in Cambodia.’

Lead image source: Shutterstock/Hethers